JoyToKey will allow you to assign your keyboard keys including mouse functions to your VKB joystick buttons. If you have a HOTAS throttle set up it will also work there . Mapping keyboard keys directly to your Gladiator allows you to take advantage of all SC's Alt combos. An example would be I have T mapped to L hat in one of the 4 VKB modes and it now serves another function when I press the key I have "Left Alt" mapped to (A1 or key3 for now). I also have my Missile lock and fire which in SC was mapped to the Middle Mouse button on the keyboard but required two buttons in the joystick map. It is now one button I hold to lock and press again to fire.

You should clear any joystick buttons mapped in SC that you have mapped to the keyboard in JoyToKey. You can use both maps at the same time but if things are not working property this is where you want to check. If it's mapped to a keyboard key it's best to not have that button mapped in the SC joystick map at all. Its now mapped in the keyboard mapping as far as SC is concerned

JoyToKey must be run as an Admin too and before you launch SC. After I installed it I closed it using the task manager and restart it as an Admin then fire up SC. I also turn it off with Task manager. It doesn't turn off and is not seen as a start up item.

Currently I am only playing with a VKB-Sim Gladiator Mk.II as I wait to see what VKB's throttle looks like.